`IRON DIRK' GRAHAM RELIEVED OF DUTIES.

Byline: ROGER PHILLIPS The NHL 

It was just last week that Chicago Blackhawks coach Dirk Graham and star forward Tony Amonte engaged in an expletive-laced blowup during a practice, after which Graham insisted the whole thing had been some sort of bizarre piece of performance art.

``It was set up,'' said Graham, upset that day at a newspaper story suggesting Amonte and Graham (who calls himself ``Iron Dirk'') could not coexist.

When Amonte was told that Graham had claimed their argument was staged, he replied, ``If that's what he said, then that's what happened.''

Monday, Graham was fired, 59 games into his first season, and replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Lorne Molleken. The move came at a time when the Blackhawks are at a low point in their lengthy history, 19 games below .500 for the first time in 42 years.

As for Graham's alleged performance, it began during a drill when he yelled at Amonte, ``It's the same (expletive) thing that happened last night and it led to a (expletive) scoring chance (for Vancouver). How many (expletive) times do I have to (expletive) tell you?''

Amonte responded, ``For (expletive) sake. Let me create some (expletive) offense.''

This was at the heart of the matter. Graham wanted his players - all of them - to play dump-and-chase hockey. That wasn't Amonte's game, but Graham was rigid.

There was a night in San Jose when Graham benched Amonte for 15 minutes, and he recently had curtailed his star forward's power-play time, as well. The morning of the blowup, a columnist in the Chicago Sun-Times suggested the Blackhawks trade Amonte if Graham wouldn't let him play his game.

``My responsibility is not to Tony Amonte to see he gets 30 or 40 goals,'' Graham responded. ``My responsibility is to this team.''

In the end, what had been apparent for some time became unavoidable: Graham had lost the ear of his players, especially his best one. Monday, he paid for that with his job.

Them's fightin' words: The Coyotes spent most of last week's 5-1 loss to the Mighty Ducks in Phoenix seeking to avenge Ruslan Salei's unpenalized stick artistry, which left Mike Stapleton with a 27-stitch cut early in the game.

Ducks coach Craig Hartsburg said the Coyotes took themselves out of the game by focusing on revenge.

That was not what Coyotes coach Jim Schoenfeld wanted to hear.

``You know what?'' Schoenfeld said. ``Then maybe we're not finished getting even, even if it costs us another game.''

He then stormed into his office, only to reappear in an instant to shout, ``Unlike them, we're in a position where we can waste a few points.''

Using his head: Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock took a puck off the head during a recent game when he was struck by a clearing pass by the Stars' Mike Keane. It took 16 stitches to close Hitchcock's wound.

``Now he knows what it feels like to be a hockey player,'' Stars center Mike Modano said.

Expanded playoffs? For all those who believe 16 teams in the playoffs isn't enough, consider Edmonton Oilers general manager Glen Sather your hero.

Sather said he believes the Stanley Cup playoffs should be increased from 16 teams to 20, with the top seeds in each conference receiving a first-round bye. Sather also said the first round should be best-of-five rather than best-of-seven.

``The league's expanded (to 30 teams in two years), but we haven't expanded the playoff picture,'' Sather said. ``I think it would help Canadian teams, and there are only six of us, for sure.

``Right now, three of the teams (Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal) are out, and (the Oilers) are hanging on. And secondly, hockey goes to a different level in the playoffs. How many bad playoff games in round one? Hardly any. Lots of upsets.''

Sather's motivation most likely is economic, because postseason games bring teams badly needed additional revenue. His proposal is not being studied by the NHL, at least at the moment.

``If it's a lousy idea, it'll go away,'' Sather said. ``I don't think it is.''

And the assist goes to . . .: Wayne Gretzky had five assists in the Rangers' victory at Nashville last week, prompting Predators captain Tom Fitzgerald to say, ``We were just brain dead in our own end. If you are brain dead against Wayne Gretzky, I mean, he can set my 4-year-old son up to score if you leave him alone.''

BLUE LINES By Roger Phillips

WELL-TRAVELED

Carolina's Ray Sheppard became the answer to a hockey trivia question Sunday when he scored his 20th and 21st goals, making him the first player in NHL history to score 20 or more goals with six different teams. Sheppard already has had 20-goal seasons with the New York Rangers, Buffalo, Florida, San Jose and Detroit.

Players to score 20 with five teams were Mike Gartner (Capitals, North Stars, Rangers, Maple Leafs, Coyotes), Dean Prentice (Rangers, Bruins, Red Wings, Penguins, North Stars) and Eddie Shack (Maple Leafs, Bruins, Kings, Sabres, Penguins).

MR. HUMILITY

Dallas' Brett Hull on what impressed him the most when he entered the NHL: ``You know what? I did. I impressed myself just making it.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO Carolina's Ray Sheppard

Tom Copeland/Associated Press

BOX: BLUE LINES By Roger Phillips (see text)